I had a hard drive crash. Loaded LOTW onto my laptop, got a new certif, did everything according to the instructions (I guess I did ). It wont let me upload a file now. I keep getting: Processing ABORTED: INVALID CERTIFICATE - Certificate has been revokedI dont know what the effing hell is wrong, but to say I am pissed is an understatement. I have never been a fan of LOTW anyway.............. Gene AF3Y

When finished you should have a gold ribbon certificate for your call. Load the p12 file for your current call first. Repeat the process for other p12 files that you may have for other calls that you manage.

If you did not save p12 files then you will have to request a new certificate. See Getting Started for instructions on requesting a certificate.

Thanks, Vinnie...... I think (?) I did that, but no luck. I have so many different tq8 an p12s and whatever, I just sent a ticket to ARRL. I will get it worked out Monday (Maybe.......)

This is just one more log on the fire toward my bailing out of this hobby. The thrill is gone, no ATNOs on the horizon, QRM/LIDS getting worse, etc., etc.

I reached my goal a while back when I got my confirmation for #300. I promised myself when i started in 2006 that I would not quit until I made 300. I have stuck around, but as I said above, the thrill is gone. The BS is getting bigger than the joy of an ATNO.

I guess the biggest thing is the LIDS. I would rather have a root canal than work SSB again. Its hard to believe the crap that goes on .........

To me, serious DXing (and contesting) is LOUD and RUDE by nature. That part of the hobby has always turned me off. Just think of the times that everyone could have gotten their QSO if everybody did not HAVE TO BE FIRST. Louder and Ruder............ I have never liked loud people, so DXing does not really fit me....

Thanks for the info. I will see what happens Monday, as I cant seem to get it done on my own.

I had a hard drive crash. Loaded LOTW onto my laptop, got a new certif, did everything according to the instructions (I guess I did ). It wont let me upload a file now. I keep getting: Processing ABORTED: INVALID CERTIFICATE - Certificate has been revokedI dont know what the effing hell is wrong, but to say I am pissed is an understatement. I have never been a fan of LOTW anyway.............. Gene AF3Y

Gene,

Sorry to hear about the problem. Hopefully you can get it resolved with ARRL or other's help.

This is a good place to make a point about backing up IMPORTANT data such as LOTW certificates, browser favorites, email contacts, email texts, banking / checkbook electronic data, whatever you have on your computer onto a SEPERATE media such as a CD-R, DVD+/-R, thumbdrive, floppy, whatever, just to avoid these sort of gotchas! I keep a backup of my LOTW certificates along with other important personal data on to a thumbdrive and another copy to a DVD-R disc and put both into seperate locations (one copy in a fireproof safe). I also make a habit of backing up my electronic logbooks onto thumbdrives (multiple copies rotated at each use) just like I do my Quicken banking data. After having lost data in the past by having only ONE copy of backup data and finding it flawed when called on to restore a corrupted hard drive, I now routinely keep 2 (at a minimum) and usually 3 copies of any backup data. Some might say this is paranoid but I have never lost any data since starting this method, even when a 1 TB RAID system bit the dust (controller crapped the bed and killed both 1 TB drives configured as RAID 0 - lost all the data on that set but had backup of backup and all was ok).

Thanks, Vinnie...... I think (?) I did that, but no luck. I have so many different tq8 an p12s and whatever, I just sent a ticket to ARRL. I will get it worked out Monday (Maybe.......)

This is just one more log on the fire toward my bailing out of this hobby. The thrill is gone, no ATNOs on the horizon, QRM/LIDS getting worse, etc., etc.

I reached my goal a while back when I got my confirmation for #300. I promised myself when i started in 2006 that I would not quit until I made 300. I have stuck around, but as I said above, the thrill is gone. The BS is getting bigger than the joy of an ATNO.

I guess the biggest thing is the LIDS. I would rather have a root canal than work SSB again. Its hard to believe the crap that goes on .........

To me, serious DXing (and contesting) is LOUD and RUDE by nature. That part of the hobby has always turned me off. Just think of the times that everyone could have gotten their QSO if everybody did not HAVE TO BE FIRST. Louder and Ruder............ I have never liked loud people, so DXing does not really fit me....

Thanks for the info. I will see what happens Monday, as I cant seem to get it done on my own.

73, Gene AF3Y

I can understand your frustration. I have taken a new job and have not been able to do any DXing. I have not gotten Burundi because I am traveling more often. I will see if I can get them tomorrow.

I am also sick of the SSB asses. While one of the easiest things to to is accidentally transmit on the RX fre when working split, and while I pretty much sit on the sidelines with 100W, I here people constantly ridicule people that do it in a terrible tone. Just tell the damn guy he is working split and save the name calling.

One thing I am doing it more rag chewing instead of DX. I rebuilt my 1983 station which was a CB that my dad gave me for Christmas. He is not doing well, so I wanted to restore it and set it up for him to see. He could not believe it that I still had it after 30 years. I rag chew on that and I also rag chew on 2M and on HF, usually local 10M group. I do not find the freq cops nearly as much on rag chew as I do on DX freqs. And it is a nice change of pace. Then when I get the urge, I go back to DX. One thing you may want to try is long distance rag chew. I hear a few people do that assuming there is good propagation.

Thanks, Vinnie...... I think (?) I did that, but no luck. I have so many different tq8 an p12s and whatever, I just sent a ticket to ARRL.

If you have a .p12 file for your lost certificate, then you can quickly recover it without help from the ARRL. If you need assistance, let me know and I will call you and step you through the procedure.

Thanks, Vinnie...... I think (?) I did that, but no luck. I have so many different tq8 an p12s and whatever, I just sent a ticket to ARRL.

If you have a .p12 file for your lost certificate, then you can quickly recover it without help from the ARRL. If you need assistance, let me know and I will call you and step you through the procedure.

73,

Dave, AA6YQ

The only .p12 I have is for AF3Y, says created februrary 26 2010, and modified on February 19, 2013. I also got an email from Norm with ARRL.

Thanks, Vinnie...... I think (?) I did that, but no luck. I have so many different tq8 an p12s and whatever, I just sent a ticket to ARRL.

If you have a .p12 file for your lost certificate, then you can quickly recover it without help from the ARRL. If you need assistance, let me know and I will call you and step you through the procedure.

73,

Dave, AA6YQ

The only .p12 I have is for AF3Y, says created februrary 26 2010, and modified on February 19, 2013. I also got an email from Norm with ARRL.

If AF3Y is the certificate that you lost, then you can restore it from that .p12 file:

1. run the ARRL's TQSLCert application

2. select the File menu's Load Certificate File option

3. in the Load Certificate File window, select PKC#12(.p12) certificate file, and click the Next button

4. in the Select Certificate File window, select your .p12 file, and click the Open button

5. when prompted to Enter password to unlock PKCS#12 file, enter the password you specified when you first created the .p12 file, and click the Next button

To me, serious DXing (and contesting) is LOUD and RUDE by nature. That part of the hobby has always turned me off. Just think of the times that everyone could have gotten their QSO if everybody did not HAVE TO BE FIRST. Louder and Ruder............ I have never liked loud people, so DXing does not really fit me....

With a very modest station myself, I have always approached it the other way: it's about being clever and dropping my call in at the right time, just far enough away from the pack, and perfectly out of phase with the guys with the big amps. To me that defines both DX'ing and contesting.

While so many talk about the goal as being pileup-busting, I try hard to not even be part of the pileup. Rate is so important to much of contesting that it becomes more about being agile and willing to not get the jump ball and move on. Contesting has taught me that just because I miss any one QSO, or any DXpedition on any given night, there is always a new band/mult combo to be found when you least expect it.

Of course I am not a serious contester or DX'er by any means. Except for those top-10 scores I've gotten in DX contests in the past year :-).

And back to the original subject... the guys at the LOTW help desk will get you through this. I think it's pretty much a forgone conclusion that I will need their help every time I get a new certificate. But if you follow their advice about backing up your new certificate, it will be easier next time there's a hard disk crash. Think about it this way: no matter how many of your hard disks crash, they will still be there and have a copy of your log. That's a hugely valuable service.

I have so many different tq8 an p12s and whatever, I just sent a ticket to ARRL. I will get it worked out Monday (Maybe.......)

This is just one more log on the fire toward my bailing out of this hobby. The thrill is gone, no ATNOs on the horizon, QRM/LIDS getting worse, etc., etc. ... is the LIDS. I would rather have a root canal than work SSB again. Its hard to believe the crap that goes on .......

Gene, I've had the same problem trying to use different computers for LOTW; several times I've gotten tangled up in what certificate was the newest. For me, the easy answer has always been to request a brand-new certificate from ARRL and start from there. For me, this has worked every time.

I got seriously disgusted with DX behavior a few years ago and didn't touch a radio for a couple of years. And I *agree* with you about phone DXing. I got back into the hobby doing portable CW from my back yard, with my riding mower for power, then did QRP for a while--that can be FUN! And now I'm about 98% RTTY and CW, where the lids seem to be fewest. I'm enjoying ham radio again--and I hope you get back to that point, too! 73 GL! --ken

I enjoy in the hobby now as much as I did when I first started (1986). No LID, DX cop, QRM, lack of ATNO will ever make me quit. Those who want to leave HAM radio will not be missed. Less noise and competition in the pileups. Adios!

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